High fives and flags as teens dare to dream

Former NFL wide receiver Kenny Stills, who played with Miami Dolphins, Houston Texans and New Orleans Saints, joined City of Logan Mayor Jon Raven in leading the way with high fives at a special introductory training session at Marsden State High School.

About 40 male and female students, from Marsden SHS, Mabel Park SHS, Springwood SHS and Flagstone State Community College, tried their hands at NFL Flag.

Flag Football, which can be played by all ages, is scheduled to be an exhibition sport at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. It then may be considered for inclusion by the International Olympic Committee in the 2032 Brisbane Games.

The partnership with the NFL aligns with Council’s 2032 City of Logan Legacy Roadmap initiative which seeks to provide opportunities for local residents to participate in new and emerging sports.

Today’s training session, which was supported by Logan City Council, was a pre-cursor to a 12-team NFL Flag schools tournament at Logan Metro Sports Fields on Friday, June 21.

The winning school will earn an NFL-sponsored trip to the United States to compete alongside eight international markets at the NFL Flag Summer Invitational in Canton Ohio, this July. 

“I was surprised how quickly some the boys and girls picked it up and I’m sure they are looking forward to the Flag Football tournament in June,” Kenny said.

Mayor Raven said with six local schools in the mix, the City of Logan was well-positioned for a winning touchdown at the tournament.

“A number of Australians have already made a mark in the NFL and playing NFL Flag might be someone's first step towards a Super Bowl dream,” Cr Raven said.

“This tournament is an exciting opportunity for young people in Logan - but most importantly, they’ll learn something new while having fun.

"Logan City Council's partnership with the internationally renowned NFL highlights the important role sport will play as we prepare for the 2032 Olympics and Paralympics.”

Charlotte Offord, General Manager for NFL Australia and New Zealand said: “We are excited to be partnering with Logan City Council to expand the game of Flag Football and grow the NFL Flag program into high schools.

“This pilot U14s tournament will be the first high school tournament for the NFL Flag program.” 

The competing City of Logan schools are:

Other participating schools will be: 

Three free NFL Flag Come and Try clinics, aimed at boys and girls aged 9 to 14, are planned to be held in Logan later in the year with details to be announced soon.

In 2022, the NFL Flag program was piloted across 10 primary schools in South East Queensland.

Within 12 months, the program saw dramatic growth expanding across.

Later this year, the NFL will pilot its NFL Flag program into high schools for the first time. 

The NFL recently announced it would open a talent academy on the Gold Coast later this year to service the Asia-Pacific region.

About NFL Flag: Mixed five-a-side teams play for touchdowns on a small-scale grid iron field, minus the goalposts.

Players wear belts with flags which are pulled off by opposing players rather than making tackles or blocking.

The ball is thrown forward, grid-iron style, with teams having four plays to get across the halfway line and then three attempts to make a touchdown.

Play stops if a player’s flag is removed while in possession or the ball hits the ground or goes out.